Two Princes
by Disney Ink
Summary: Ariel and Eric are engaged to be married and with Eric's father growing more ill, Eric will soon be king. But the night of their engagement party, Eric's older brother- the Pirate Prince, Gaston- shows up with a plan of taking his place as king and he captures Eric and Ariel. Things take a turn, however, when a storm hits the ship and everyone becomes stranded on an island.
1. Chapter 1

"You look beautiful."

Ariel smiled at her reflection in the gold-framed mirror. She was wearing a purple gown that hugged her body perfectly showing off her curves. The skirt fell straight down to the floor and was made completely of silk. The top was an off the shoulder corset that was covered in lace. She had a black lace choker that had a purple tear-drop gem dangling from it. Her long red hair was curled and pinned neatly back. A few thin black ribbons were intertwined in her hair. She also wore a silver forehead tiara. A purple gem that matched her necklace hung from the tiara in the middle of her forehead.

Ariel took a step back and looked at her cousin, Giselle. Giselle had straight, long, orange-red hair that was piled on top of her with a couple loose strands hanging loosely on the sides and in the back. She was wearing a light pink dress with a hoop skirt and short sleeves. She had white lace cuffs around her wrists and a matching white lace belt around her waist.

"Prince Eric won't know what hit him," Giselle continued. She walked over to Ariel and stood beside her so they were now both in front of the mirror.

Ariel turned back and looked at their reflections. It was obvious they were related; they both had the same cream-colored skin and big blue eyes. Giselle was taller than Ariel, but not by much. Giselle put her hand on Ariel's shoulder and smiled down at her.

Ariel ran her hands over her dress, then made sure her hair looked perfect. "Do you think so? I really want to look good for him."

"You look sensational," Giselle assured her.

_"Introducing Prince Edward!"_

Ariel and Giselle looked over at the glass doors that led out to Ariel's balcony. The doors were open slightly and they were able to hear the herald as he announced each of the guests. The girls walked out onto the balcony and peered over the railing. They had the perfect view of the large backyard of the castle from where they were. Tonight was a special night for Ariel; it was hers and Eric's engagement party. People from kingdoms all over came to celebrate with them. By now most of the guests had arrived. A band was playing on a platform while some of the couples danced. A couple of the women had glitter on their dresses that shimmered in the light when they twirled. Ariel sighed as she watched them and couldn't wait until she was dancing among them with Eric.

As Prince Edward walked up the stone staircase in to the yard, everyone glanced at him. There was no denying Edward was handsome. He was also very charming.

Giselle turned her back towards the railing when she saw Edward. Giselle and Edward were engaged, but it was an arranged marriage set up by their parents.

"He's not that bad," Ariel told Giselle.

And he really wasn't. Prince Edward was a good man with a kind heart; it's just that he had been spoiled since he was a baby and didn't know how to work for anything, often times took things for granted and could be arrogant at times. Ariel had also been born into royalty, but she had six older sisters and a very strict father so she wasn't like other spoiled princesses.

"I know he's not," Giselle said as they walked back into Ariel's room. "I had always hoped that I would marry for love and not out of obligation."

"You mean like your brother?"

Giselle shook her head. "Hercules and Belle had an arranged marriage, as well. They fell in love with each other afterwards. Granted, it hadn't taken long, but still..." She let her sentence trail off.

"I'm sure you and Edward will fall in love, too."

Ariel was once again reminded of how lucky she was. Both hers and Eric's kingdoms were prosperous and neither of them had to marry to combine fortune and bring together their kingdoms. The two of them had met at a ball for Princess Aurora's birthday a few months ago and had fallen for each other right away. Ariel's father, King Triton, had approved of Eric since he was a prince and had given them his blessing without any hesitation.

"I suppose we should join the party," Giselle said. "We shouldn't keep our princes waiting." She smiled and winked at Ariel.

Ariel smiled back and the two girls made their way out to the yard. The herald introduced Giselle first. As she walked down the stairs that led into the yard from the castle, Edward made his way towards her and met her at the bottom. He took her hand and led her out to the dance floor. When Ariel was announced everyone turned and watched her walk down the stairs. She suddenly felt self conscious and was afraid she was going to fall down the stairs and embarrass herself. She concentrated on taking each step carefully until she reached the bottom. Eric was waiting for her and smiled at her when they made eye contact. Instead of taking her hand like Edward had done with Giselle, Eric picked her up, spun her around and then kissed her in front of everyone. All of their guests clapped and the women let out a chorus of aw's.

_"Introducing Prince Derek and Princess Charlotte!"_

Ariel's eyes widened in excitement and she looked over at Derek and Charlotte. Charlotte, of course, was wearing a poofy pink dress that sparkled even when she wasn't in the light.

"Go greet your best friend," Eric whispered to Ariel.

Ariel looked up at him. "Are you sure? This is our engagement party; I should be with you."

Eric laughed. "I have a lot of mingling to do; I'll be fine. Go."

Ariel gave Eric a quick kiss, then hurried towards Charlotte. When Charlotte saw her, she picked up the skirt of her dress and started running towards her. As soon as they reached each other, they hugged.

"Oh, honey, I'm so excited for you!" Charlotte gushed.

"I'm excited, too."

"Congratulations, Ariel."

Ariel turned around to see her cousin's wife, Belle, standing behind her.

"Thank you, Belle."

Belle gave Ariel an awkward hug. After a couple moments, Ariel stepped back. Belle was a sweet girl, but she and Ariel didn't have much interaction with each other and it was always a little awkward between them.

Ariel cleared her throat. "Belle, you remember Charlotte?"

Belle nodded and smiled Charlotte. "Of course. Well, I should get back to Hercules."

"Thank you for coming," Ariel said.

After Belle had walked away, Charlotte grabbed Ariel's hand and pulled her away from the party. Eric's castle was right on the ocean and Ariel and Charlotte often liked to walk along the beach together. It was dark now, but the moon and stars shone brightly over them.

Derek and Charlotte's kingdom was close to Eric's. In fact Eric and Derek had grown up together and been best friends all their lives. Because of this, Eric, Ariel, Derek and Charlotte spent a lot time together and Ariel and Charlotte had become quick best friends.

"I can't believe I'm getting married in only two weeks," Ariel said.

"Are you nervous?"

Ariel shook her head. "Not at all. I love Eric so much; I can't wait to be his wife."

Charlotte linked her arm through Ariel's and the girls continued their walk in silence. No doubt Charlotte was thinking about Derek. Charlotte hadn't been born a princess, but her father was very wealthy and she often got to spend time around royalty. She met Derek a couple years ago and fell hard for him. Derek was just as smitten over Charlotte and proposed to her after only one night. They were married a month later. They were both still very happy together and Ariel admired them.

"What is that?" Charlotte asked, squinting at something up in the distance.

Ariel looked ahead of them and could see movement in the shadows. It was clearly another person, but that was all Ariel could tell.

"Maybe we should go back to the party," Ariel whispered.

Charlotte nodded. They turned around to go back, but ran into a man. The man had dark hair that fell over his eyes. He quickly grabbed Charlotte. He pinned her arms behind her back and held a knife to her throat. Charlotte screamed and struggled to get away.

"Let her go!" Ariel demanded.

The man laughed. "Sorry, Princess, but my orders don't come from you."

Ariel narrowed her eyes at him and then dove for him. She was stopped, however, by someone grabbing her waist.

"Not so fast," another man growled. "I need you do me a little favor."

Ariel looked up at the other man. He had long black hair that was pulled back in a low ponytail. He was also incredibly strong and was able to keep her restrained with only one arm.

"I'm not going to help you," Ariel told him.

He laughed. "Yes you are; unless you want Sinbad to slit your pretty friend's throat."

Ariel glanced back at Charlotte. She had stopped struggling and was now crying.

"What do you need me to do?" Ariel asked the other man.

"I just need you to get your fiancée to come talk to me."

"What do you need with Eric?"

"That's none of your concern," the man hissed. "Just do as I say; your friend's life depends on it."

Ariel nodded. The four of them headed back to the party. Charlotte, Sinbad and the other man waited in the shadows at the bottom of the stairs while Ariel went up to find Eric. She found him talking to Prince Naveen. She took a deep breath and walked up to them.

"Pardon my intrusion," Ariel told them. "Eric, I need to speak to you alone."

"Of course. Excuse me, Naveen."

Naveen nodded and walked away. Ariel took Eric's hand and led him away from the party and down to where the men were waiting for them. Once they were alone, then men stepped out of the shadows. Sinbad still had Charlotte with the knife at her throat. Eric didn't seem to be afraid like Ariel and Charlotte. He frowned at the men.

"What are you doing here, Gaston?" Eric asked.

"You _know_ him?" Ariel asked.

Eric nodded, but didn't say anything.

"You know why I'm here, Eric. It's time."

Eric crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I take it you heard father has grown ill."

Gaston smiled. "Yes. Which means it's time for me to step in as king."

"Our father disowned you when you chose to live a life of piracy," Eric said. "You are no longer an heir to the throne."

"I would be if something happened to you."

Ariel quickly placed herself between Eric and Gaston. "Please don't hurt him!"

Eric wrapped his arm around Ariel and pulled her to his side, but kept his eyes on Gaston. "He wouldn't hurt me."

"You're right; I wouldn't," Gaston said. "But I have other plans."

In one swift movement, Gaston pulled out his sword and hit Eric in the head with the end of it, knocking him unconscious. Eric fell limply to the ground. Ariel stood protectively in front of his body.

"You're not going to get away with this," Ariel told him.

"Relax, Princess. You're not in danger." Gaston turned and nodded at Sinbad.

Sinbad put his knife away. He then wrapped both of his hands around Charlotte's neck. Charlotte scratched at his hands and gasped for air.

"Charlotte!" Ariel tried to help Charlotte, but Gaston grabbed her and held her in place. Ariel fought back the urge to start crying. "Please stop!"

Charlotte's body suddenly became limp and Sinbad dropped her on the ground.

"No!" Ariel cried. "Charlotte!"

Gaston clamped his hand over Ariel's mouth and hit her over the head. The last thing Ariel saw before everything went black was Sinbad dragging Eric's body away.


	2. Chapter 2

Ariel slowly opened her eyes. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust and for her to remember what happened. She quickly sat up and looked around. She was in the brig of a ship. A guard was standing outside their cell, but he had his back to them. Eric was lying next to her, still unconscious. Ariel reached over to him and started shaking him.

"Eric? Eric, please wake up!"

Eric stirred a little bit, then groaned and slowly opened his eyes. "Ariel?"

Ariel nodded. "I'm okay."

Eric sat up and wrapped his arms around Ariel. "Thank God."

Ariel hugged him back, glad that he was still alive.

"Oh good; you're awake," the guard said, unlocking the cell door. "Gaston has been waiting for you."

The guard led Eric and Ariel out of the cell and up to the galley. The crew was all gathered at the wooden tables, eating dinner. Some of the men were fighting over food while two women did their best to ignore them. The guard led them to a table where Gaston and Sinbad were sitting alone. Gaston glanced up as Ariel and Eric sat down across from them.

"It's about time you woke up," Gaston said. "Dimitri! Bring them their food!"

A young man with brown hair walked over to the table with two plates of food. He set them down in front of Ariel and Eric and then walked away. There was a piece of meat covered in gravy, a couple slices of cheese and a slice of bread on the plate. Even though it was nothing like the food Ariel was used to eating, she was starving and it looked delicious. She picked up her fork and took a small bite of the meat. It was extremely salty and she resisted making a face at it. Eric didn't even look down at his plate; he just kept his eyes fixed on Gaston.

"What's going on here, Gaston?" Eric demanded.

Gaston chugged down the last of his drink, then slammed his mug down on the table. "Look, little brother, I'd love to catch up with you; but, I've got a ship to run. Enjoy your dinner."

With that Gaston and Sinbad stood up and walked out of the galley. The rest of the crew followed after them. A younger boy who looked like he was only eighteen came out and started cleaning off the tables.

Ariel had so many questions for Eric, but judging by the look on his face, he didn't have any of the answers. She tried anyway. "Eric, do you know why your brother brought us on his ship?"

Eric was poking at his meat, but wasn't eating it. "Not for sure, but I have a guess."

"What is it?"

Eric finally pushed his plate away and looked at Ariel. "He's going to try to prove to me he can be king by showing me that he's capable of running this ship."

"Ships and kingdoms are very different," Ariel said, nibbling on a slice of cheese.

"It doesn't matter; it's our father he has to prove himself to, not me. He's wasting his time and ours."

"Ours..." Ariel repeated the word carefully. "Why _did _he bring me along?"

"Leverage," Eric replied. "But, he won't hurt you."

"How do you know?" Ariel demanded in a hushed tone. "He had Sinbad _kill _Charlotte!"

Anger clouded Eric's face. "He did what?"

Without waiting for Ariel to reply, Eric stood up and stormed after Gaston. Ariel didn't move; she _couldn't _move. She had suppressed the memory of Sinbad killing Charlotte, but now she had just brought it back up. She suddenly felt a chill sweep through her body and she wrapped her arms around herself.

"Are you finished, miss?" the cabin boy asked, pointing at the plates on the table.

Ariel nodded. "Ariel. My name is Ariel; you don't have to be formal with me."

"I'm Jim."

Jim started reaching for Eric's plate, but the ship suddenly started rocking, causing him to lose his balance. He dropped the plates in order to grab the table to steady himself. The sound of the glass shattering on the floor made Ariel jump. The ship started rocking more violently and she, too, gripped the table to steady herself. On the deck above them she could hear the crew shouting and she couldn't help wondering what was going on and if Eric was all right.

Jim stumbled towards the stairway that led from galley to the deck, but just as he reached the stairs, water started pouring down into the galley. It knocked Jim down and he struggled to get back up. The water in the room was rising fast. Soon it was already up to Ariel's waist. Dimitri hurried out from the kitchen and hurried towards Jim. He held him up and the two of them pulled the door closed. By that time, the water was up to Ariel's chest and still slowly streaming in from the crack at the bottom of the door.

"Why did you trap us in here?" Ariel cried as she climbed on top of the table.

"We're in the middle of a storm," Dimitri told her. "Waves are crashing onto the deck; if we go up there we'll be swept overboard."

"What about Eric? He's up there!"

"If he's smart he'll be on the upper deck or in the Captain's stateroom. But with the rate the water is pouring in here, we would never make it up there."

"So, what, we're just supposed to sit in here and wait to drown?" Ariel was starting to panic.

The sound of wood splitting on the deck interrupted Dimitri's response. It was followed by someone calling out, "Man overboard!" and then a loud thud. Everything was quiet for a moment, except for the sound of the water around them. Ariel was having trouble staying on her feet on the table as the water flowed around her.

"That sounded like one of the masts," Dimitri said.

The ship then tilted forward, sending the three of them flying forward. Ariel landed hard in the water, narrowly missing one of the tables. A deafening crack of wood breaking rang through the ship and Ariel didn't have to see what was going out there to know a wave had just broken off the front tip of the ship. The ship jerked back to a level position and more water poured into the galley.

"We're sinking!" Jim called out.

The three of them swam towards the door. Jim tried opening it, but it wouldn't budge. Ariel and Dimitri joined him and started pushing on the door. They had hard time keeping their footing and with the pressure of the water against the door, there was no way the three of them could get it open.

"We're gonna have to go out the window," Dimitri said.

They swam back towards the kitchen where a small window was placed above the stove. Dimitri grabbed a stool and started hitting the window with it. Ariel took off her shoes, then she and Jim climbed on top of the stove as well. As soon as the window was broken, water rushed inside. Ariel slipped and started to fall off the stove, but Jim grabbed her and pulled her up. He pushed her towards the window and she climbed out. Since the kitchen was at the bottom of the ship, they were already completely under water. Some members of the crew were also swimming away from the ship and others were floating lifelessly towards the bottom of the sea. Ariel didn't see Eric anywhere. She waited for Jim and Dimitri to squeeze through the window, then the three of them swam for the surface.

Ariel took a deep breath once they reached the top and looked around. The ship had been smashed in several areas and was slowly sinking. All around the ship were members of the crew; some watching the ship sink, some swimming away. It was then that Ariel noticed they were swimming towards an island in the distance.

"Come on!" Ariel told Jim and Dimitri.

It took a while for them to finally reach the shallow water around the island. When they did, they hurried to shore and collapsed in the sand. Every part of Ariel was sore and she could barely move. She slowly and carefully propped herself up on her elbows and searched for Eric, but she still didn't see him anywhere. However, she did spot Gaston not far from her. He was standing in the shallow water, with his arm around a dark-haired woman, watching his ship sink. Ariel forced herself to stand up and she made her way over to them.

"Where's Eric?"

Gaston turned to face Ariel. He didn't have his usual cocky expression; he looked more distant, almost sad. No doubt mourning the loss of his ship.

"He's looking for you," Gaston finally said.

Ariel turned and started wandering down the beach. "Eric!" She gathered the skirt of her dress in her hand to make it easier to walk. "Eric!"

A woman with short brown hair came up to Ariel. "Are you Ariel?"

"Yes."

"I'm Marina. Eric is looking for you. I'll take you to him."

Marina turned on her heel and started hurrying away. Ariel followed after her, struggling to keep up. As soon as they found Eric, Ariel jumped into his arms and kissed him.

"Oh, Eric! I thought I lost you!" Ariel said in between kisses.

Eric held her tightly as if he thought a wave would come and sweep her away. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again."


	3. Chapter 3

The island was big- almost bigger than Eric's kingdom- but so far they hadn't run into anyone else. However, they still hadn't explored the whole island and there were several caves, so it was quite possible that there were other people living on the island. Ariel wasn't sure if she wanted to meet them, though. She'd heard stories of cannibals living on deserted islands and eating trespassers and that was certainly not a fate she wanted.

It was still daylight when they shipwrecked on the island. Gaston and a couple other men went hunting while Eric and what was left of the crew built shelters. Ariel, Marina and Gaston's lover, Vanessa, combed the beaches and waded in the water looking for anything from the ship that had made it through the wreck. They didn't find much.

When it got dark everyone gathered back at the camps. Ariel stayed close to Eric and he was more than happy to protect her. However, he was still wary of Gaston and kept a careful eye on him.

"I'm sorry about all of this," Eric said.

"It's not your fault." A gust of wind blew around them from the sea and Ariel wrapped her arms around herself. The night was colder than she had been expecting and she wished she had something more to wear than just her dress from the party.

Eric reached over and took her hand. "I'm also really sorry about Charlotte."

"You're not the one who killed her."

"No, but she died because of _my _brother."

"It's hard to believe you two are brothers. You're so different; _you _are so kind while he's so cruel."

"He wasn't always like this. He and I used to be close; practically inseparable. When we were kids he was always the first one to volunteer to help someone. I don't remember a time where he was ever rude or mean to anyone. But, I guess piracy has a way of changing people."

"I can't imagine him being anything but a brute."

"It's been many years since he was the Gaston I knew as a kid." Eric threw a couple more sticks into the small fire in front of them.

"Why didn't you ever tell me about him?"

"I don't know. I guess part of me was ashamed and I didn't think you'd ever meet him." It was obvious this situation with his brother was weighing on him.

Ariel put her hand on Eric's arm. "Eric, are you all right?"

"I've been better. I just feel so useless right now. My best friend's wife was murdered because of me and now my father has been left alone and no one is there to watch over the kingdom. Who knows what will happen while I'm gone? Not to mention, _you're _in danger now because of me and you had to watch a man kill your best friend."

"Sweetheart, none of this is because of _you. _Your brother did this."

"That's just as bad, Ariel. Gaston is my brother and I'm supposed to always take his side. But now I'm in a position where I have to go against him."

"I'm sorry."

"Maybe we should just turn in for the night," Eric said after a few moments of silence.

Ariel nodded in agreement and Eric put out the fire. They were suddenly in complete darkness and Ariel's fears returned. She crawled into their makeshift fort and lied down on the leaves Eric had lain out for their bed. Eric joined her shortly after. He pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms tightly around her to keep her warm.

"Poor Derek," Ariel said quietly. "He must be going crazy after finding his wife dead and not knowing what happened."

"I think in this case it's better that he doesn't know the truth."

"Why is that?"

"Gaston is his friend and Marina is his sister. He'd be devastated if he found they were part of this."

"I don't think it's better for him to have no idea what happened to her."

"I'll think of something to tell him."

"You're going to lie to him?"

"It's for the best."

"What if he finds out you lied to him? How do you think he's going to feel if on top of everything else he finds out his best friend betrayed him, as well?"

Eric sighed. "You're right. I have to tell him the truth."

* * *

Vanessa gently ran her fingers through Gaston's hair. He was obviously upset about losing his ship and she wished there was some way to cheer him up. They had just finished making love, but it did little to make him feel better.

"Everything is hopeless now," Gaston said quietly.

"No it's not. You'll figure something out; you always do."

"Vanessa, my ship is gone and I've lost most of my crew. Even if we _do _make it off this island, what would we do?"

"We'll get another ship and hire a crew." Vanessa turned Gaston's head so he was looking at her. "Gaston, you're the strongest man I know; it's not like you to get upset over something like this."

Gaston kissed her hand and turned his head away. "I've never felt so out of control before."

"So, take control back. We may be on land now and not on your ship, but you're still the captain."

"It's not the crew I'm concerned about; I know they'll still obey me. It's my brother. I know he's going to try and take over. And now that he's been rejoined with Ariel he's gonna feel like he has nothing to lose."

"Then you need to separate them and use her as leverage. He won't be in a hurry to over throw you if he knows you're the one who decides whether or not his princess lives."


End file.
